Stephen33

Hello again, xnormajeanx For whatever its worth, my opinion is that you are likely to have broader career options with a Berkeley or Chicago degree. If you are quite certain that you want to do IR and work for Foreign Affairs Canada, Georgetown may indeed be your best option (I do not know, because I know little about the IR world). On the other hand, if you think there is a good chance you might wish to do something else (say, domestic policy) I would argue in favour of Berkeley /Chicago. The reason for this is fairly simple: Berkeley and Chicago are two of the truly great universities of the world, and are recognized as such throughout the world. Georgetown is a fine university, but not of the Berkeley/Chicago calibre (very few schools are). Chicago is deeply respected by everyone with whom I have ever discussed the matter. I know that this is a factor of some importance as I weigh my own decision; whether it will be decisive or not, time will tell. Perhaps you wouldn't mind sharing your views on my dilemna? I'm looking at offers from Chicago, Michigan and Carnegie Mellon (the last is for their 1-year accelarated program). Funding is slightly better at Chicago than Michigan, while the CMU offer is good but not strictly comparable since it is only a 1-year program and thus cheaper in terms of opportunity cost. I will admit to being a bit intimidated by the thought of living on the south side of Chicago, and Harris sounds a little impersonal, although it looks very strong and rigorous academically. Michigan sounds solid, balanced and pleasant, while CMU has the advantage of being a very good 1-year program, but the disadvantage of less name recognition. Any thoughts?

Hello xnormajeanx As a Canadian who has applied to some of the same schools as you (and been accepted to some of them as well), I can share my opinions, for whatever they are worth. I am a mid-career public servant working for a provincial government. In terms of general strength of reputation, I would definitely place Berkeley and Chicago above Georgetown. Georgetown's location would certainly serve it well if you choose to work in DC, but I think a Chicago or Berkeley degree would "travel better", if you get my drift. This judgement may be less relevant if you are focusing on IR, but for other purposes I would definitely give the reputational advantage to the other two schools. fyi, right now I am deciding among Carnegie Mellon, Chicago and Michigan. I also applied to Harvard, but have heard nothing from them as yet, and am assuming a rejection. Even if I were to be accepted there, I doubt that the financial terms would be such that I would turn down quite good funding offers from any of the other schools. Best of luck with your decision!

Has anyone received an admission decision from the MPP program at UChicago (Harris) as yet? I thought I stood a decent chance there, and have already been admitted to Michican (Ford) and Carnegie Mellon (Heinz), but have heard nothing from Harris. I am also waiting on KSG (MPP), although that is likely a longshot. Any info would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.